


Even Lovers Drown

by JustCharlieBruh



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Steampunk, BASED OFF LEGEND OF THE BLUE SEA GO WATCH THAT, Childhood Trauma, If you have already, M/M, Minor Violence, Misunderstandings, Multi, Murder, Reincarnation, Well - Freeform, mostly know the story, then you know the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 18:17:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15125162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustCharlieBruh/pseuds/JustCharlieBruh
Summary: Kaito's mother told him once, a long, long time ago, that despite Tokyo's size, it could fit comfortably in the palm of his hand, that lives in Tokyo would endlessly intersect. He didn't understand it then, or even now, but— He holds the quote close to his heart as secrets around him begin to unravel and he's caught in a web full of lies.(Edgy Title and Summary strike again, poem in the title by William Butler Yeats)





	Even Lovers Drown

Men and women slowly pick up remnants of their lives; the small fishing village ruined by the storm which had passed overnight. Bronze towers creak overhead, the generators working overtime to keep the island afloat, reminding those on the beach just how fragile everything is after such a horrible electric storm.

As they all slowly spread out to clean up, a lone fisherman spots something in the sand. The stocky man squints, bending down on an aching knee to fumble with a large dark blue scale. It’s far too big to be a fish’s scale and yet, it looks exactly like one. His group slowly joins him, perhaps to scold him for not cleaning up or maybe to see what he’s so transfixed by. They crowd around him, one yanking the scale out his hand when he offers it with a small muttering of thanks. It’s another moment as they pass it between themselves, before one draws attention to yet another scale sitting innocently nearby and another and another, making a trail of dark blue towards the mouth of a cave carved into the mountainside.

They scramble over the rocks in their haste, curiosity fueling them to figure out what has exactly been dropping such scales. None of them are prepared to see something so inhumane.

Fear drives them back as vivid sapphire eyes peek from over the edge of the rock pool, webbed fingers digging into the rock with supernatural strength. They all share a look with one another as one barely dodges a swipe from the creature, its guttural hissing filling the cave. The temporary town head needs to hear about this.

* * *

He rushes through the marble halls, blood singing in his veins. A mermaid, a _true_ mermaid, was found in one of the nearby caves! Trapped by rock and debris, there was no chance of escape. His men had dragged it here, in preparation for the new town head’s arrival and he couldn’t wait. This would surely put him in good fortune with the young master for the foreseeable future.

Tripping slightly over a piece of metal piping, he snaps at a servant to pick it up before he rights himself, breath catching in his lungs. There, hiding under the bridge, was one of the most mesmerizing pair of eyes he’d ever seen. Twin gems like sapphire with flecks of gold glittering throughout, the creature-- _the mermaid_ , he mentally corrects himself, flicks its heavy tail at him. It snarls in disgust as he reaches out towards it before he’s stopped by the fisherman who’d discovered it in the first place.

“It’d do you well to act with caution, milord. They say these creatures can erase the memories of those who touch them in self-defense.” He warns him as he pulls back his own long, black hair from over the water, rightfully nervous and Shirotani steps back in wariness. The guards shift slightly, grips on spears tightening. They all can feel the shift in the air, it’s turned tense. He reigns in his long, silver hair, just in case it would try to reach out and try to pull him in. It tilts its head, watching him carefully. Like a predator, it glides from under the bridge, as if it owns these waters, towards him with _intent_ he can see in every line of its body. It raises a pale, slender hand towards him; its delicate, webbed fingers reaching, reaching, and he’s once again mesmerized. Until the fisherman pulls him back, enough that the guard jabs close enough to force it into the center, back under the bridge.

It snarls, low and harsh before sinking below the water. He can see those inhuman eyes glinting from beneath the surface, trailing him as he crosses a nearby bridge. Shivers sprint up and down his spine. Although he’s the one walking away, why does he feel as if he’s being dismissed?

A harried servant rushes over, smoothing at his robes.

“Our new town head is arriving tonight, make sure that _thing_ is tied up. Use the cranes if you must to keep it above the surface. Spread out some nano-lights, make sure the area is well lit so it can’t hide.” She scurries off, nodding furiously as he whips around to carry his voice over the courtyard. It meets his eye once again, smirking, and he can feel a slight fire of annoyance light up in his stomach. This damned thing, thinking itself mightier than _him._ No, it’d learn its place in this world owned by humanity once the new town head arrived, once he was allowed to kill it. “Gentlemen, do not be afraid to discipline it, if it disobeys you. A good hit or two with your spears should be enough.”

He gives it a cheeky smirk, watching as its face turns cold and its eyes blazed with anger.

* * *

Tires squeal into the courtyard before the car barely stops at the stone steps. People murmur as the passenger side door opens. Out steps a young man, dark brown hair wild and spilling slightly over a pair of welding goggles. He straightens his three piece suit out, looking over the small town held together by brass and willpower. Violet eyes sweep over the crowds as their owner spins gracefully on the tips of his loafers, taking in deep breaths of ocean air.

“Can you smell it, Ryo?” He asks joyfully

“If you mean the sea breeze and lack of both Corruption and corruption in the government here, then yes.” Comes the deadpan reply from the driver. Another young man steps out, combing hair out of his face before holding it down with his own pair of aviator goggles. He smooths out his own waistcoat, before tossing the keys to a waiting servant. He strolls over, all debonair and eternal, secretive smirks. Ryo bumps hips with him, barely dodging a swipe to the head from his violet-eyed charge.

“There’ll always be corruption in the government, Ryo. Take this neat little place for instance,” he spins them both in place, showing a surprising amount of strength. “We’ve been called in to clear out the temporary town head and take over for the Boss. We _thrive_ on corruption, we just don’t do anything horrible to people who have it worse like this Shirotani allegedly does.”

Ryo just sighs, nodding to the people as he manhandles his charge up the steps, “whatever you say, Rei, whatever you say.”

Shirotani meets them in the foyer, all crooked grins and more excitement than either of them know what to do with. They share a look before Rei gives him a charming smile. Ryo hides a snort as a cough as he sees a silver eyebrow tick upward. He doesn’t blame him; Rei had that effect on everyone.

“You two are…?” His voice slithers over them both, sending what feels like slime down his spine. Rei stiffens under his arm as he drops into a pout, the puppy dog look catching the other man off guard. Shirotani takes a step back, looking several shades of confused and slightly apologetic as Rei crosses his arms.

“My name is Ryo, just Ryo,” Ryo starts, sighing, he doesn’t want to deal with everything that comes with Rei’s act. The smaller man raises an eyebrow at him as he pats him on the shoulder, “And this—” He pushes Rei forward, “is your new town head, Doi Rei.”

Shirotani and the rest of the palace quiet as Rei sputters under the attention, Ryo takes the time to bow, asking tonelessly, “Please do take care of us, we are at your service.”

“Ah, y-yes,” Shirotani sounds a bit in disbelief, before he snaps back into whatever he was doing. Ryo watches carefully as he grabs at a nearby servant, almost yelling at her in her face. “Go prepare the town head’s gift and alert the other guests! Bring an extra seat for his...company and make sure that the cranes are ready!”

Ryo lets that mull in his head as he files away moments of intrigue to report later. So, they had prepared a gift, there was a need for cranes, and this temporary townhead ruled with fear more than love. He holds back a sigh; overthrowing this man would be easier than he thought. He spares a glance at Rei, watching him carefully as he slips into his plotting mode.

“Ryo,” Rei whispers nervously under the general hubbub as they’re led to what might be the outer gardens if his mental map is correct. The foliage at the end of the hallway only tell him he’s right and he mentally pats himself on the back. He turns from the aquatic-themed paintings adorning the hall to his charge. He raises an eyebrow at the paleness of his face before he reminds himself that of course, Rei had always had a slight aversion to the sea. “What in the world type of gift requires a _crane_?”

“Well,” He can’t help the hints of sarcasm seeping through, “perhaps this Shirotani fellow figured out your love for avians through the grapevine and prepared something that includes multiple birds flying in some sort of display?”

Rei aims a deadpan look at him as he shrugs. “There’s a plethora of gifts that could require cranes, mechanical or otherwise, milord. It’s best not to think about it until they bring whatever it is out.”

The violet-eyed man pouts at him as they walk out into the garden before his attention is stolen by the beauty of the mini lake in the center of the whole space. Well, the beautiful, pristine lake, but also the ring of guards surrounding it and the nano lights floating above them all. His brows furrowed in thought, why have nano lights over and around the water if not to keep something from being hidden?

Shirotani beckons them over to a small gazebo, lit by oil lanterns that Ryo is pretty sure could be classified as fire hazards. He takes a few steps forward when he realizes Rei is no longer by his side. Looking for his best friend, he finds him in between two of the guards, searching the waters earnestly.

“Rei…?” He asks, not liking the trance-like stillness of his body that he’s only seen once. And that was one time he’d rather never live through again. “My friend, are you alright?” He scoots a guard off to the side, moving to shake him when Rei holds up a finger. The look of intense concentration in his eye unnerves him a bit.

“You don’t hear it, Ryo?” He asks quietly, voice low with something he can’t recognize, and he finds himself staring into the depths of the pool, straining to hear _anything_. His stomach sinks as he hears silence. The waters are far too calm for his liking as he hears everything behind them stop.

Fuck. He feels the palace’s eyes on their backs as he sighs. “Hear what, Heika? What is it?” He mutters, ignoring the way Shirotani steps up behind them from the wisps of silver hair falling between them.

“Is everything alright?” He asks and Ryo stares him before he gives him a small smile.

“Ah, yes, Rei just gets a bit... _odd_ around water. We’ll be up in just a moment, once he breaks out of this,” he assures him, patting Rei on the back to hopefully wake him. It doesn’t, no, his charge only continues staring at the water as if it’s hiding something from him. “It’s quite alright, we’ll join you soon.”

Shirotani makes a noise like he doesn’t believe him and honestly, Ryo can’t believe himself either. Not with the way his voice shakes as he barely keeps Rei from leaning into the water.

Whatever leads him in, no one else seems to hear and faintly, Ryo wonders if their gift is a siren and would rather _not_ deal with such a creature again. He wraps an arm around Rei’s shoulders, ready to pull him away when he sees a webbed hand break the surface. It almost doesn’t look real, like porcelain with dark blue scales embedded in alongside the faint bruising.

His stomach sinks and he does his best to try to yank Rei away, but the other man’s fingers are digging into rock and refusing to let go-

* * *

Rei doesn’t notice much of the outside world, not when such a beautiful song echoes in his head as a pale hand finally greets him. Faintly, oh so faintly, he feels tugging on his body and entertains the small piece of his mind that screams for him to run.

He doesn’t want to though, he wants to _stay_.

It sings again and he tries to bend closer to hear it, feeling it’s familiarity, almost becoming nostalgic from it and not just because of the fact that he’s been in this type of situation before.

 _You are the ruler they crooned and cawed over,_ it states as he finally sees the faintest outline of a face. At first he thinks it his own, but then, the dark blue sc-scales trailing down the cheeks tell him otherwise. The beautiful deep blue with the barest hints of gold tell him otherwise and his breath is caught in his throat. The _bruising_ is a stark contrast to the pale skin and he feels sick to his stomach.

The other hand breaches the surface, the screams of the people are eventually drowned out as clammy, webbed fingers gently clutch his face. The world seems to slow as the face appears too fast for him to truly comprehend.

 _Your fault_. It hisses and he realizes what's happening, reacting slower than he’d like.

 _Blood begets blood_ The voice croons, its melody turning to the screech of metal on metal and Rei finally flinches. He pulls back, just as the creature would have dug claws- for lack of a better term- into his eyes. It gets jabbed back down with the blunt end of the spears, still so hard that Rei winces. Ryo is above him, yelling at him as he watches it sink back down. A dark blue tail barely breaches the surface, splashing water their way before it disappears into some kelp nearby. He feels the link weaken and he- He blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.

 _Freedom, that's all you want, right? I’ll give it to you_.

All he feels is the barest hint of confusion, before the connection snaps and he returns to his body.

* * *

It’s a cold night in Ekoda as Kaito Kid slips into Yoshimatsu Headquarters. His target tonight is the Everest, a giant chunk of quartz said to hold a different gem inside. No matter how impossible it seems, he couldn't resist, not when Matsu-san had issued such a _gracious_ challenge.  

 _'Come face me, you coward!'_ The latest headline is printed in all caps. The balding man was recorded in the middle of a rant, his angry face splashed along the page as the main block of text under him reads: _Matsu Ken, 45, challenges Kaitou Kid to steal Everest while dressed in his infamous purple and green suit meant only for deals of great importance._

He slips past the guards easy enough, swiftly darting between blindspots as the map in his monocle leads him to his prize. KID didn't issue a heist note, he didn't want the police getting involved, not when Matsu-san had had a history of both legally and illegally obtaining exotic animals through any means necessary. Plus, it was the Inspector's birthday, he wasn't cruel enough to interrupt the dinner his daughter had been setting up for months.

KID skids down a corner, ducking into a nearby room just as a guard began his rounds down the hallway. His monocle blinks once and then twice, he can't stop the grin stretching his lips and sends a prayer of thanks to Lady Luck. He had reached his destination.  

The room is dimly lit, what light shone through was teal, almost sea green, spreading across the floor. His shoes don't even make any noise, thudding silently against carpet. His brows furrow in confusion, finding nothing in the room besides a chair off to the far wall and the source of light. It's an aquarium filled to the brim with seaweed and bright lights poking through gravel at the bottom. Something white slithers through the plants and his heart drops into his stomach.

Oh god, finny things were the worst and with _something_ that _big_?

He's barely allowed a second thought when a face-- a _literal_ face-- peeks through the weeds. Pale white eyes stare back at him, snow white hair drifting along with the current of the aquarium as Everest is hung from the creature's neck which keeps it close to the bottom.  

 _You..._ Echoes through his mind which sort of freaks him the fuck out, because that isn't his mental voice, that doesn't even sound anything like him. This is slower, more melodical and he doesn't know what to do.

_Who...are you, stranger?_

There’s a beat of silence as he tries to comprehend what’s just happened because uhm-

 _I won't ask again, stranger._ The white eye narrows at him, before they disappear back into the grass after a tense moment. Kaito exhales shakily, still feeling the presence at the back of his mind, waiting, watching. He pulls on a shaky grin, swiping off his top hat with a huge, fantastical, bow.  

"Kaitou KID." He greets, eyes trained on the floor. "The one who makes the impossible possible!" He lifts himself out of his bow with a twirl, dancing back, closer to the door as the guardian of the Everest swims closer to the glass.    
  
_You fear me._ Still melodious, yet sharper, interested, and a chill goes down Kaito's spine. He only answers with a nod, not wanting to say anything else as he commits the face to memory.  
  
It’s similar to his own. Except, there are little differences here and there. This one's features were angular, only a little sharper than his own. It'd be easy to disguise as the being if he so wishes it. Scales trail from the below the eyes to the edge of the chin, also covered in white, similar to this being's hair and eyes. He takes a deep breath before trailing down to deal with the _finny_ part of the guardian  
  
_The being this, guardian that. I have a name, you know. Like every living being in this world._  
  
"D-Do you? I apologize for not asking sooner. I'm just...trying to take this all in." He gestures with his hand, waving it to show the whole room. The guardian only nods, twisting to float on its (his?) back, cradling the stone connected to its(his??) collar.    
  
_Understandable. Well, since you've given me a false name, I suppose I shall give you one as well._ A pause and it’s like he could actually feel this...merman think. _Shin. I am Shin, first son of the Trident._    
  
With that, Shin turns upright, floating higher and higher, the tail swishing back and forth to raise him until Kaito has to strain to meet his gaze. _Names are powerful, KID. Help me escape and I will give you both this stone and my own._  
  
"I know the power of names...You'd barter one chain for another?"  
  
A hand slides against the glass and Shin's eyes glow with ferocity. _Anything to leave this place._

"I...Okay, I can do that. I can help you, but you don't need to give me your name, Shin-san." He fidgets in place for a moment, trying to hide his discomfort. He wants to help, he really does, but _the fin._

There are many, _many_ times he has cursed his icthyophobia. This just has to be another. It’s literally keeping him from helping someone chained and kept locked away from the rest of the world. Damn it. _Damn it._  
  
Shin taps against the glass, angling downward, looking almost like a hook. He looks determined as he beckons KID forward. _Your fear, it hinders you._  
  
"Thank you, Captain Obvious." He sighs out as he steps up to the glass, the long-suffering noise earning him a raised eyebrow.  
  
_Put your hand on the glass._  
  
"Why?" That earns him an eye roll.  
  
_Do it. I can help you._ The  _merman_  urges.  
  
"Aren't you the one trapped in an aquarium?" That earns him a smirk as he absentmindedly places a gloved hand on the glass. Shin mirrors him, webbed hands stretching along side his.  
_  
With your help, not for long._ The smirk turns into a sharp-toothed grin that matches his own and KID feels a hint of warmth dust his cheeks before the pain feels like it splits his skull apart.

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's only the first chapter, and that this is written a bit oddly, but can you figure out who is who?


End file.
